Physical vapor deposition (PVD), or sputtering, is one of the most commonly used processes in fabrication of integrated circuits and devices. PVD is a plasma process performed in a vacuum chamber where a negatively biased target (typically, a magnetron target) is exposed to a plasma of an inert gas having relatively heavy atoms (e.g., argon (Ar)) or a gas mixture comprising such inert gas. Bombardment of the target by ions of the inert gas results in ejection of atoms of the target material. The ejected atoms accumulate as a deposited film on a substrate placed on a substrate pedestal which generally faces the target.